Descent into Darkness
by Shiranui117
Summary: Post-TP. When Demise breaks out of the Master Sword and threatens to destroy Hyrule, Link must work with Fi, Midna and others in order to stop the ancient evil.
1. Intro

**Author's note: Well, this is my first fic, hopefully the intro chapter isn't too unbearable. Comments and reviews are very much welcome, and I hope you all enjoy this.**

Link sat in Ordon Spring, staring off at the waterfall, the sound of the rushing water muting his thoughts, the sunshine dancing off the water sending him into a trance. Ilia was sitting at his side, while Epona basked in the midday sun. This was the life that had been torn from him, and the life to which he could no longer return. He was a stranger to his home, and his home to him as a foreign land. Idyllic and down-to-earth, so unlike the harrowing and incomprehensible journey that he had experienced.

Months ago, he had been sitting in this very spot while Rusl told him about the legends of the Twilight Realm…

He quickly snapped himself back to reality and sighed with annoyance. He wouldn't think about that, he'd told himself over and over.

The only remembrance he let slide was the fragment of the Mirror of Twilight he wore around his neck, the one memento he took—half to honor Midna's wish to never forget the Twilight, and half to prove to himself that his adventure wasn't just some insane dream—or nightmare. He had difficulty much of the time deciding which term worked better. As long as he had the physical reminder, he'd decided to leave the memories to his sleep and to the daydreams that left him awkwardly staring off into space while herding goats and riding Epona.

He turned his head to look at Ilia, who nonchalantly averted her gaze to Epona. She clearly liked him; not even losing her memory changed that. If anything, helping her while she recovered her memory made her like him even more. He was still devising a game plan; reciprocate the feelings or keep it as just friends with her? If he decided to keep it in the friend zone, how should he let her down? He wasn't overly concerned about having to explain things to Bo; the mayor was generally pretty chill.

But, returning the favor to Ilia actually wasn't sounding too bad lately; she had a decent figure, she was overprotective as hell, but that just meant she really cared about him (and the horse), she could be incredibly sweet and very relaxed. And, of course, they went back a long way. Plus, it's not like a backwoods farm boy would be able to get it on with the Princess of Hyrule. And Midna was in a world he couldn't even get to anymore…

Damnit, he did it again.

Link sat on an idle Epona, staring off into space as a herd of Ordon goats milled about him. He was dragged back into reality with Fado shouting for him to get the job done. Link took a look at the rancher, nodded, and got to work, whooping the goats into the barn, making sure to not shout enough that the goats wanted to turn tail and trample him.

This work was supremely boring for him, and he was glad it never took him more than a few minutes. When he'd first returned home after his adventure, Link knew Fado would come calling, so he took off on Epona in the morning before his boss could show. He'd been dragged into the Twilight Realm, turned into a wolf repeatedly, restored light to the four Light Spirits, slogged through bunches of monsters, smacked down beasts about five times his size, hooked up with two princesses, saved the village children, chilled with some Yetis, Gorons and Zoras, beat the hell out of an usurper and smacked down the king of all evil like a boss, and that guy expected him to herd a bunch of farm animals?

Uh-huh. Yeah, like that was gonna happen.

His eyes snapped open as he jolted awake to the shroud of night. He sat up in bed, leaned his head into his hands and groaned after experiencing the same dream for the past four nights in a row.

It began every time with a strange short-haired girl, skin and eyes seemingly made out of sky-blue crystal, donning a cloak. One side blue, one side violet. Stockings a mesh of purple and forest green. A diamond the same color of her skin, embedded in her chest. Gold trimming surrounded this diamond. The girl hovering above the Master Sword, resting right where Link had relinquished it in the Sacred Grove. Every time, he got the vibe that something serious was going to happen.

After this vision followed a dark, imposing figure similar to Ganondorf, but more… Menacing. More primal. Ganon was his own horror, to be sure; Link had barely escaped with his life. But this… Demon—so he decided to call it—was different. Far more imposing than Ganondorf could ever be, though Link had trouble imagining something more sinister than the monster that had torn him from the life he knew and had nearly destroyed two worlds. His eyes and hair were alight with hellfire, his skin dark and partially scaled, pulsating with sheer malice. His very image breathed evil…

Link sighed, rising from his bed to gaze out his window at the starry night, nonchalantly passing the veritable armory of items and weapons he'd collected on his journey. His legs were still stiff with grogginess and protested, but the Hero of Light didn't care one bit.

He stared out at the sleepy Ordon Village, intrigued at how the little hamlet could sleep so peaceably at night after all that had happened.

As the ambient drowsiness of the scene overcame him, he understood; the wounds of war had begun to heal, and all was back where it should be; the village children were once again reunited with their families, and Link had his old life back; no longer did he have to worry about collecting the Fused Shadows or the shards of the Mirror of Twilight. Zant was dead, Ganondorf defeated, Hyrule saved. All he had to worry about was herding a bunch of goats, entertaining the village kids, and making sure Ilia got every last bit of her memory back, while deciding whether or not she was just his friend, or maybe a little more.

Link trudged back to his bed and slumped back onto the mattress, with one question seeped through his mind as he allowed sleep to retake him: _What was going to go so terribly wrong?_


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Alright, here's the actual start of the story. Enjoy!**

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><p>He sat in Ordon Spring, enjoying Ilia's silent company next to him, Epona as usual standing a little ways off from them in deeper water. The water lapped leisurely against their ankles, and the trio basked in the relaxing noonday ambiance. Link and Ilia were lazily propping themselves up on their elbows. He was starting to decide that this was the favorite part of his day, just relaxing with Ilia and Epona in this spring. He took a deep breath, smelling the fresh scent of the forest and the refreshing water. He dug his toes into the cool, soft sand, felt the grass underneath his elbows and torso. He glanced idly at the sky above him. He saw dark smoke rising from the direction of the Sacred Grove, and his skin went cold. At first, it rose formlessly, but then coalesced around the sun, slowly blocking out more and more of its light. The world wasn't falling into twilight this time. It was falling into sheer, unadulterated darkness. He immediately sprang up from where he was sitting in the spring, jumping onto Epona's back and taking off, Ilia calling frantically after him.<p>

Epona's legs pounded against the earth beneath him as they bolted past Faron Spring and Coro's lantern shop. Link leapt off the mare's back as she approached the gate to the cave, leaving her there as he ran helter-skelter past Keese and rats. He covered his face and tried his hardest to avoid breathing as he plunged through the purple mist in the center of Faron Woods, his eyes stinging and his lungs burning from a lack of breath. Link gulped down as much oxygen as physically possible when he was clear of the mist. Sweat came off him as rain from a stormcloud. Speaking of which, things were slowly darkening up by the minute. Now it was at the level of an overcast day.

He ran past, hearing Trill squawk the usual "Hey! Hey! Buy something! Anything!"

Link ignored the annoying afro-wearing bird, his eyes trained on Rusl's Golden Cucco, standing on the ledge. Before the bird had any chance to hop away, Link seized the bird and leapt off the cliff, flying and leaping over the gaps and gorges needed to get to the Lost Woods. He threw the Cucco away, and as Skull Kid appeared and took a big breath to blow his trumpet, and promptly summoned ten wood puppets.

Link cursed under what little breath he had, and began punching out the puppets. He hunted down Skull Kid, who as usual had ran off into another part of the Lost Woods, playing that little tune. When he found him, Link ran up to the little fiend and drove his foot as hard as he could into the Skull Kid's face. The creature gave a sharp cry, never losing that demented, childlike smile, and ran off again, lantern tinkling at his side.

The Hero of Light ran after him, determined to catch the damned thing before he could summon more puppets. He caught up to the little imp as he was blowing into his trumpet, and curb-stomped the Skull Kid's head into a nearby log. This was enough to gain a horrified shriek from the Skull Kid, who made his way down into the Sacred Grove. Link dashed from one pillar to the other as the playful fiend warped between them, leaping up and catching one of his feet as he lighted down. Link savagely pulled him down and smacked him three times, winning Skull Kid's little "game."

Skull Kid giggled happily and vanished into thin air. His voice echoed through the forest, saying, "Ee hee! That was fun! …'Bye!"

Wasting no time, the Hero ran with the last of his energy to where the Master Sword slept. As he reached the blade's pedestal, he collapsed to his knees, having run so far on borrowed breath.

Slumping down to his side, huffing and wheezing and with his heart beating like the ancient statues' hammers, he gazed at the Master Sword. Emanating from beneath the tip of the blade was the swirling dark smoke that had been the cause of his sudden fear. From all the way in Ordon Spring, he could feel the darkness. Lying only a few feet away from the source, the evil was overpowering. It seemed to penetrate down to the marrow of his bones, and it even left a taste in his mouth.

He heard a voice saying, "Master Link, if you wish to vanquish the evil you see before you, you must take up the Master Sword once more. It will release evil once again upon the world, but if you do not act now, then I calculate a 0% chance that I will remain able to maintain the seal on Demise."

Link was dumbfounded as to who was speaking, but he didn't question the voice. He rose to his feet, gripped the Master Sword, solidified his stance, and pulled the blade from its pedestal.

Immediately the evil roared out from underneath the sword like a jet-black wind, and coalesced to form a ball on the opposite side of the pedestal from him. It slowly materialized into a hulking figure probably fifty feet tall. It had way-too-long arms and short, stubby legs and a stubby tail. Its entire body was covered in thick, black scales and Link didn't know if it even had eyes or not. Either way, Link was scared shitless. He hadn't brought any of his gear with him, not even the Hylian Shield or even the bloody slingshot. All he had was the Master Sword and his Hero's Tunic, which he'd grown accustomed to wearing.

He took a fighting stance, Master Sword in one hand, the other arm hovering in front of his waist, ready to grab or block or go two-handed with the Master Sword, whatever he'd need to do.

The thing—what he figured the voice had called "Demise", shot out toes and fingers made out of something white, getting a good stretch after its long nap. Link quickly deduced where its weak point was, and sprinted at the thing's feet. The behemoth lifted one foot and set it down; its first steps in what Link somehow figured was millennia. As soon as it slammed its foot on the ground, a red-and-black energy pulse shot out, and the Hero of Light ran right into it. He flew back, eyes screwed shut as a sharp pain cut across his abdomen. Doing his best to ignore the pain, he opened his eyes just in time to see the second foot casting a shadow above his head.

He rolled out of the way and dodged the energy wave this time, then went to work, slashing furiously at the toes. It took him a couple strikes to destroy the ivory-colored appendages, but he did it. As he whipped around to deal with the other foot, he felt like he'd been smashed away by a Darknut's sword as the energy wave stole the breath from him, knocking him to his hands and knees.

Wheezing from the impact, the Hero rose up, clutching his sword. He charged over to the still-intact foot, while Demise dragged the other along. Link knew the other foot was about to take a step, so he started slashing like a madman to cut off the toes on the other foot. When he did so, the monster fell backward, having lost its balance. Link ran around to its head, but stopped when he heard a ringing. He felt a familiar tingling sensation in his hand, and checked his birthmark.

His blood ran icy when he saw the Triforce of Courage resonating on his hand. He looked over at the creature's right "hand". Through the black scales, the light of another piece of the Triforce shone. The top triangle.

The Triforce of Power.

Dread swept over Link as he thought, "_Oh, please Farore, don't tell me it's_ _**him**_**…**"

Black shrouded the creature. The figure slowly shrank down to something about ten feet tall. It was heavily-built, almost pig-like. Link groaned. Yep, he was thoroughly screwed right about now… _No, I beat him once, I'll do it again,_ he said to himself, getting revved up for round two.

As the darkness faded, it revealed the familiar red hair, the dark skin, the scar on the chest… But something was different.

Ganondorf had short red hair. This had a flaming mane that even emanated from his back. Ganondorf's eyes were hazel, this man had just pure white eyeballs. He wore no armor; the scales that had covered the behemoth now covered this figure's arms, the outside of his chest, his back, and he wore only a pair of pants and a cape around his waist. They both shared a scar in the middle of their chests, but this one had an additional scar on his forehead. This thing was like a combination between the thing Link had just fought, Ganon's beast form, and his Gerudo form. It dawned on Link that this was literally the being from his nightmares.

It pressed one incredibly well-muscled arm on the ground, giving itself support. He rose up and fixed his gaze on Link, who had long since frozen. A low, rumbling chuckle emanated from the monster as he rose to his full height, dwarfing the Hero. He drew a jagged blade that, so Link noticed, seemed to be the polar opposite of the Master Sword. It was black with an inverted Triforce at the base of the blade, in stark contrast to the radiant indigo and silver of Link's blade.

Demise looked at his right hand, where the Triforce of Power glowed. "Interesting…" it rumbled. "The very same power that killed me once… Is now mine to command?" It gave a laugh that shook the ground under Link's feet, a dark smile spreading across his beastly face. "I'm sure you understand the irony. Yes, you, who in a past life made the very wish that destroyed me in your time, but were unable to destroy me in the time of the Goddess Hylia…"

Link was floored. What the hell was this (man?) talking about?

"Oh, yes, yes, 'Hero…'" Demise spat the last word out of his mouth as something to be ridiculed, as something humorous. This Hero suddenly felt very much intimidated. How he'd ever managed to beat this demon before, he'd love to know now. "…And that's not the only new power I've acquired."

He thrust out his arm, and shadows materialized into a dark spear. Without moving, he launched the weapon straight for Link's heart. Unable to move, he was only able to flinch back, shut his eyes, and wait for the feeling of getting skewered. Then, a shriek that pierced through the Lost Woods.

Gasping and sweating, Link threw open his eyes as something thudded hard against his chest, but this was no spear. A ragged hat and shirt, a lantern tinkling and clinking to the ground.

Link's eyes went wide with horror as goosebumps went up all over his body. At his feet was a puddle of blood. In the middle of the pool of blood, the Skull Kid. In the fiend's heart was the spear.

Horrified, the Hero knelt down beside it, scooping up and cradling the small, broken body, taking the spear out. The imp's chest shuddered with shallow, pained breaths. Tears rolled down the Skull Kid's face. They welled up in Link's.

"E-Ee hee… Th-That was fun…" The words were strained, spoken through a broken smile. It was a smile of playfulness, of mischief, of pain, of sadness. The little forest-dweller's eyes were glazed over, losing focus, rolling around weakly, trying to stay focused on Link's face. It rose a small blue hand, and Link took it, squeezing it reassuringly.

Never before did he think he would ever feel this way for the Skull Kid, the one who had drove him insane, running all over the Lost Woods, nearly getting him killed. But all that was forgotten as the little imp's blood drained over Link's tunic, turning the forest-green fabric a sickening crimson. He'd always wanted to deck the thing, but seeing it sacrifice its life for its "playmate".

" …'Bye…" Skull Kid shuddered as the last breath escaped his broken, bloody body.

Link tenderly laid the corpse on the ground, away from the pool of blood. Watching the sad scene, Demise began laughing. Trembling with fury, tears running down his cheeks, the Hero of Light rose to his feet, giving this monster a cold look of hatred the likes of which he had never felt. He gripped the Master Sword so hard it hurt. Roaring like a savage, Link charged the killer, determined to avenge Skull Kid.

In his anger, he wasn't able to notice and avoid the demon's next move. Laughing, he smashed Link back with a brutal kick to the chest. Link tumbled backwards before rolling back to his knees. A sharp pain ripped through him as another dark spear ran went in one side and left the other.

Link couldn't breathe. He couldn't move. He couldn't do anything except clutch the wound in his chest. His eyes dilated with excruciating pain that was beyond words—not that he could have said any. Not that he could even scream. He saw Demise slowly step toward him. Link knew it was over, but he couldn't close his eyes in defeat. He was far too terrified for that. His life started to flash before his eyes. His consciousness began to slip, his breath became shorter and shallower as his vision became grey and blurry. His head swam, and everything seemed to slow down, the way it does when you have too much to drink…

The demon slowly stretched out his hand. "Now, the Hero chosen by the Goddess will no longer stand in my way. I will expunge you from my sight," he declared calmly, almost casually.

Link disintegrated as his body was sent out of the world of Light. His body flew away in black particles before vanishing entirely from the world Hyrule occupied.

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><p><strong>As always, please review and let me know if there's anything I can improve on. Feedback and comments are much appreciated!<strong>


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Sorry for the wait! I finally got the next chapter up. This one's long, but we meet two beloved characters, and the story really starts to develop here. I'll do my best to keep working on it, but the last two months of senior year are crazy. Without further ado, read and enjoy!**

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><p>He was beginning to lose consciousness entirely as he felt his body reform in the air, before being pitched to the ground. Fortunately, he landed on his side, but the impact shot pain through his entire body as the spear jarred around, further damaging the wound. Link could only manage a weak death rattle; he no longer had the energy to even scream.<p>

To add insult to injury, he felt the Triforce of Courage resonate again, as its ringing joined the ringing of his ears. The Master Sword had fallen from his hand and clattered to the ground, and now laid a few feet away.

He also began to feel a sensation he hadn't felt in months, as fur sprouted all over his body and as his bones shifted, slipped, stretched and shrank. As he transformed into a wolf, his chest cavity narrowed, forcing his organs to squeeze around the spear. His chest protruded, and Link winced as his body slid further up the spear. The extra adrenaline served to give his consciousness a boost. Nothing like living even longer to feel the worst pain imaginable.

As if he wasn't already impaled enough.

The pain took his breath away yet again as his vision darkened. He heard a chime. He was dimly aware of it coming from the Master Sword.

As blood matted his fur, his breathing became increasingly labored. Each intake of breath moved his chest and stomach, which moved the spear in turn. He closed his eyes and was ready to meet sweet death…

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><p>Midna kicked back in her throne. She took a sigh and cast a glance at the high ceiling, mulling over the meeting she'd just had with the Royal Council. Her people were beginning to recover from Zant's havoc; all his curses were lifted, and communications had been successfully reestablished between the Twilight Palace and the rest of the settlements.<p>

She was torn from her thoughts as a strange spirit passed through the doors, lighting down to a graceful genuflection. The spirit had skin like blue glass, and donned a blue-and-violet cloak. She didn't appear to have real eyes, but instead possessed what be better described as etchings in glass. Whether her eyes were supposed to be open or closed, Midna couldn't tell She withdrew to her full height (which wasn't incredibly great; she was at least a head shorter than Link), revealing a blue gem in her chest, a tight purple dress, and stockings. She fit in oddly well with the smooth, metallic interior of the Palace.

The spirit spoke in a strange autotune, saying "Midna, Your Majesty. I have no time to explain who I am. All you need to know is that, unless you lend your immediate assistance, Link has a 0% chance of survival."

Midna froze, dumbstruck. That hard-headed, courageous idiot was in trouble? She rose and nodded to the spirit. "Show me where he is," she directed, her voice flat, not knowing what she might find.

She faded through the door, and Midna followed, ebony cloak billowing behind her as she likewise phased through. The spirit floated swiftly, always facing Midna, waiting for the Twilight Princess to catch up before moving further away.

Midna raced to keep up, intent on finding out just how Link had managed to get himself in such deep trouble. As they ran past the handful of Twili standing at the palace entrance, they moaned, surprised at the spirit and their princess's distress. Eventually, her guide led her to where the portal to the Mirror Chamber once was. The spirit hovered above a body, chest and stomach rising slowly.

When she saw him, she couldn't believe her eyes. Her wolf's breathing was hoarse, pained, and weak. A huge spear jutted out of his chest. Link didn't seem to be conscious.

The sight was enough to make Midna sick; she immediately moved a hand to her breast, part of Link's pain becoming her own. Overcome with sympathy for her one-time partner, she zapped the spear with Twilit magic, causing it to dissipate into black particles.

Next, she knelt down. She peered at the wound from front and back; she could see all the way through Link each time. The aorta had been severed, and now that the spear was removed, the blood could escape.

He would bleed out within seconds. Her stupid wolf was going to take her with him if her heart pounded any faster or harder.

Immediately she zapped his body, and shadows flooded into the wound. They surrounded the aorta, and Midna breathed a huge sigh of relief as the blood flow ceased. She cast a bit more magic, and flesh covered the holes, and she could hear bone fragments realigning and fusing, blood vessels and muscles and sinews reattaching.

Midna fell back into a sitting position, now thoroughly exhausted as adrenaline still rushed through her skull. The Twilight Princess put her head into her hands, rubbing her temples with her thumbs. Sighing again, she got to her feet, stored the Master Sword and levitated Wolf Link with another zap of her Twilight magic.

"Now we're even," Midna muttered to her unconscious friend as they walked past the Twili, who moaned for the umpteenth time at the sight of their Princess and the pair of outsiders.

The spirit, who Midna had entirely forgotten about, floated to her side. Glancing at it from the side, she said, "Alright, now you have time to explain. Tell me what happened to him."

"Link was injured fighting Demise, a being far more powerful than Ganondorf ever was or could be," it answered. Its face was an emotionless mask, its melodic, robotic voice betraying no feelings.

"Afterwards, Demise sent Link here, to the Twilight Realm, where he was forced into his wolf form due to the dark power of the spear, and his own weakened life force."

"Alright. I'd ask you to fill me in on what that is and who you are, but I'd rather wait until Link wakes up. I only need to hear you explain it once," Midna said.

They walked in silence back to the throne room. The Twilight Princess sat on her throne, and she laid Wolf Link across her lap. She ran her fingers through the fur on his head, stroking and scratching the top of his head and behind his ears.

She wasn't about to let him out of her sight again.

After all, he was helpless without her. He couldn't even dodge a spear without her help.

She sat there, petting Wolf Link for hours, waiting for him to wake up. Maybe he was comatose. Maybe he wouldn't wake up at all.

She pushed away the fears from her heart and the tears from her eyes. The spirit simply hovered in front of them, eyes trained intently on Link.

Those seemingly immovable eyelids slowly began to nudge themselves open, and his fierce, bright blue eyes chased the darkness out of Midna's heart. She sighed silently as a smile spread across her face. She wanted to cry and hug him, but she wasn't about to give this mutt the satisfaction that he'd scared her half to death.

Wolf Link wearily lifted his head to look at Midna, his feral blue eyes meeting her burning scarlet ones.

For a second, words actually failed her. But then she returned back to her old impish self. "Well, since you're alive, I guess I can forget about skinning you and keeping your pelt as a memento. But perhaps I can still make a lapdog out of you…" Her smile turned dark and mischievous.

In response, her partner gave a small bark and gave her a huge lick, covering her face in slobber.

Midna was not amused.

She wiped her face with the sleeve of her cloak; his lick had taken her smile with it. She gave Wolf Link a cold stare.

"Bad dog. _Bad,_" she said, waving a finger sharply at his nose.

Link almost seemed to laugh at her with his eyes before the wolf ears perked up, and he looked towards the spirit hovering over him. She landed into a deep curtsy, her flowing cloak spread out like a pair of arms.

"Master Link, you do not remember this, but when last we spoke, it was my wish that we may meet again in another life. Although I was not originally created by the Goddess Hylia to be a being that can feel emotion, I can say with 100% accuracy that it brings me the utmost joy that my wish has at long last been granted. Even though I was present with you during your recently-completed adventure, passively being at your side has not made me as glad as I am to see you now."

"I regret that our formal reunion follows the gravest of circumstances. However, due to Her Majesty Midna's intervention and the will to live bestowed on you by the Triforce of Courage, my analysis indicates that you have a 95% chance of complete recovery within the next two weeks."

"And your name?" Midna asked pointedly.

"Fi is the name I was given. I am the spirit that resides in what you now call the Master Sword. Many eons ago, I was created to serve the chosen hero of the Goddess in his quest to temper this blade and defeat Demise. The Spirit of the Hero, Link, lived on after his death and has been reincarnated many times. The one before us is the latest such incarnation."

Midna lifted up her arm and looked down at the wolf, half-expecting someone else to be there, but also not surprised that this backwoods-bumpkin-turned-Hero is the one to whom this "Fi" was referring. It would certainly explain a lot.

"However, just before Demise was sealed within the blade, he set a curse upon the land of Hyrule, so that his hatred also returned to the world in the form of Ganondorf."

"Although Ganondorf was defeated and killed numerous times by the Master Sword, after each of these occurrences, part of the essence of Demise's hatred rejoined his subconscious remains that were meant to decompose inside the sacred blade. With the most recent slaying of Ganondorf, enough of Demise's hatred was returned to him that he was able to break the seal that kept him inside the Master Sword. I was also meant to sleep for eternity within the blade in order to maintain the seal, but now I have awakened in order to help Link defeat Demise once more."

Midna's jaw dropped. "So… You're telling me… That Ganondorf was just… An incarnation of this thing's _hatred?_"

Fi nodded. "Affirmative. You will see the resemblance between Demise and Ganondorf when you see him."

The Twilight Princess was about ready to shoot out of her own skin, and she nearly screamed, "He's coming_ here!"_

Wolf Link certainly didn't enjoy that. His discomfort with Midna's loud voice and lurching forward was evident as he flattened his ears and whined.

The Sword Spirit bowed her head. "No. My apologies if I gave you that impression. According to my data models, Demise expended most of his current energy levels merely freeing himself from the confines of the Master Sword, wounding Link and then exiling him to the Twilight Realm."

"Further, I estimate an 85% chance that he will need a long time to recuperate before he can pose an existential threat to Hyrule. He is most likely to still be in the Sacred Grove at this time; the holy powers in that location will keep him from leaving until he is strong enough to overcome them."

"Alright. But wait, how exactly did Demise manage to just ship Link off to here? That doesn't make any sense."

"When Demise absorbs each successive incarnation of his hatred, he gains the powers of that incarnation. In this instance, Ganondorf had gained the ability through Zant and the Triforce of Power to transport to and from the Twilight Realm at will, and make use of Twilit Portals."

The Twili dragged a hand down her face; she could feel a headache already coming on. "So, what you're telling me is… This Demise, who was already powerful enough to give the original Link a run for his money… Now has the Triforce of Power and the ability to warp between the world of light and the Twilight Realm at will."

"Unfortunately, this is so."

Midna just wanted to kill herself at this point. Her and everyone else around her. Save themselves the trouble of dealing with this killing machine whose very name implied that he just wanted to wreck everything in existence.

"Alright… Did you manage to come up with a strategy while you ran all those calculations?"

Fi looked to Wolf Link. "The Master Sword is the only weapon that can harm Demise. Therefore, the most logical conclusion is to simply have Link duel Demise again. However, my records indicate that repeating the same strategy may fail the second time around. In addition, the Master Sword's power has weakened over the years; it is no longer even able to perform Skyward Strikes."

Wolf Link perked his head up to look at Fi, clearly awake enough at this point to take an interest.

The spirit looked to the wolf and continued, "Without the aid of Skyward Strikes, I cannot decipher any messages the Goddess may have left for me in the case this exact situation were to ever occur."

"You still haven't told us what a Skyward Strike is," said the Twilight Princess dryly.

"A Skyward Strike is a technique where Link raises the tip of the Master Sword towards the sky. The blade then fills with power from heaven. Upon performing a basic slash or thrust, an arc of powerful divine energy will be loosed from the blade. This technique can deal ranged damage, and it is ideal for defeating evil, and activating certain artifacts left by the Goddess Hylia."

Wolf Link was tuned in to Fi. Midna shouldn't have been surprised that he could pay such keen, unflinching attention to useful information, given his circumstances. Even if she had to remind him of what to do five minutes later, he could really cue in.

"Alright, so the obvious issue is how we get that power back, right?" she responded.

Fi nodded. "Correct. I hypothesize that, since the Sols have restored the Master Sword's light in the past, something in the Twilight Realm can again be of use to us. Your Majesty, would you know of any such artifact?"

"Uhh…" She pressed her fingertips to her temples as she concentrated, trying to think. "Well, we could try and find a few more Sols. They powered up the Master Sword once, and they could do so again. But there's one problem I think we're overlooking here."

Wolf Link perked up and looked at Midna with those eyes that pierced into her very soul. She looked to him and to Fi, and said, "We're forgetting that I shattered the Mirror of Twilight, and now there's no possible way to get Link back over to Hyrule to defeat Demise. I know the Triforce of Power got Link here, but I don't think it's just as simple as flipping a switch on Link's Triforce of Courage to be able to warp between the worlds."

Fi nodded. "Correct. However, Ganondorf and Zant were able to go to and from the Twilight Realm even without the benefit of the Mirror of Twilight. But, being able to create a new permanent means of going between here and Hyrule would be most efficient. I remember Link preserving a piece of the Mirror that we can perhaps use as a reference point or even as a part," she said, looking down at the wolf, who in turn instinctively looked down to his neck.

The Mirror fragment that Fi mentioned must only be on Link's person on his human form, Midna reasoned.

She leaned her head in her hand in thought. "Hmmm… There may be a place we can go to get new materials. We have settlements a ways off that have sand. We can maybe use that to fire a new mirror."

"And perhaps the Goddess Hylia left messages for me even in this realm that can be of assistance to us," Fi chimed in.

Wolf Link looked to Midna, and it never ceased to amaze her that she knew exactly what he was trying to say: "_And maybe we can find new things I can use."_

The Twilight Princess nudged the wolf off her lap, and both rose to their feet (or paws). "Then it's settled. We're taking a road trip to the settlements after Link gets a little rest, and once he's healed enough for me to turn him back to human form."

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><p><strong>As always, reviews, feedbacks and critiques are more than welcome; if anyone seems out of character, that would be great to know. Have a nice day!<strong>


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Sorry I was a little longer than usual in getting this one up-school can be a serious pain. x.x I've already started on the next one, so no worries there.**

**And special shoutouts to TheGroosenator and Blake-Hero of Tyme for reviewing! You guys are awesome! :D Also, many thanks to those who have tagged and favorited this story; it's great to know that people like it!**

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><p>Wolf Link woke to the sound of his door opening, and Midna strode into the room, smiling serenely. "Ready to transform?" she asked cheerily.<p>

He lifted his head and barked, tail thumping the ground with eagerness.

Midna nodded and stretched out her hand. Wolf Link's form darkened, his bodily structure realigned, and he rose to his two feet. Link smiled, but something stank. He looked down at himself. His tunic was bloodstained, reeked of aging gore from both him and the Skull Kid-his heart panged as he thought of the poor little guy-and was now tattered from the spear. His chainmail shirt was also rent. The Hero's face contorted with disgust, and he took off the bloody garments, leaving on his bracers, gloves and the Master Sword's sheath.

Link noticed Midna looking him up and down. "It looks like being a country bumpkin took care of your looks," she teased. Link immediately felt his cheeks start burning. She put a hand to her mouth and stifled one of her trademark mischievous giggles.

She abruptly stopped laughing and pointed a finger upward, as she around for a second. "Oh yeah! Before I forget..." the Twilight Princess said, as the Master Sword materialized in front of her. The sword floated over to Link, who grabbed the hilt. "You might want that."

He took the sword from her and nodded, sheathing it. Oh, how wonderful it felt to have his trusty blade across his back…

Fi appeared out of the gem on the Master Sword and looked at Link. "My analysis indicates that your muscular mass is in fact 10% of that of Demise's," she reported. "I recommend finding a way to compensate."

Link was confused about exactly why Fi said that until Midna replied, "Generally, Fi, men try to compensate for something else."

The swordsman opened his mouth to respond, then set his face in stone. Fi was incredibly robotic, and he wasn't sure if that made her better or worse at trolling. But even if she just sets 'em up, Midna can sure knock 'em down.

"Now, I believe we were going to leave for the settlements today," Midna said. "Since Link's feeling all better, he may as well make himself useful. And this too, especially," she continued, stepping towards Link to lift up the Mirror fragment, gazing curiously at it.

"…You know, Link… After wearing it for this long, I wonder how you avoided its influence..." the Twilight Princess remarked, sighing thoughtfully. She took Link's tunic and chainmail and lifted them up, peering at Link through the holes that ran through both sides of each garment. "I don't really think you'll need these for now," she said with an almost seductive tone. "With those gaping holes and all that blood, I might have to find something entirely new for you…"

The bare-chested swordsman flinched back, increasingly embarrassed. He wasn't interested in the wardrobe changes Midna had in mind. He just wanted to get on with it and get to the settlement already—anywhere but this bedroom. Link pushed past Midna, and Fi glided beside him. Eventually he heard the footsteps of his eternal tormentor trailing behind him, then drawing up to his side. Midna led the way to a balcony, then whistled the hawk call.

A pair of giant Twilit Kargarocs soon appeared, and Midna mounted one. Fi vanished back into the Master Sword's crystal. Link was stunned that Midna could control these _things. _To be honest, he didn't think they _could_ be controlled. He straddled the back of the second massive, muscled, featherless, repulsive bird with a fragmented subwoofer for a head. The Twilight Princess kicked her heels into her bird, which promptly stretched out and took off. Link did likewise.

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><p>At first, being airborne terrified him; he looked down and saw nothing but the abyss of the Twilight Realm below him. If he fell here, he'd fall forever. But as he glanced nervously at Midna, riding confidently and without a care in the world, eventually the Hero relaxed. She'd save him if he fell, right?<p>

Plus, he'd done all sorts of crazy stuff in his days. Flying on a wild bird with an endless fall beneath him was just another thing to slap on his resume... Or so he tried to tell himself.

Now more or less comfortable with flying on one of these things, he turned his mind to much more important matters—such as how his hat was able to stay on his head, despite being only a loose fit and being in incredibly high winds. Or, for that matter, how it stayed on his head with him being flung to the ground after hits from the likes of Darbus or getting blown up by a bomb. Or what he was going to do for a shirt and some armor. Going all bare-chested was cool and all, but it wasn't the most practical thing, with how many blows and swipes he took on a daily basis, depending on where he was.

After the pair flew for some time—how much time Link was unsure of; time was very hard to keep track of in the Twilight Realm—Link finally saw a large floating island in front of them. Its beauty actually made him take a breath. It had sand, water—and trees. Link's jaw dropped as he saw his first substantial view of Twilit environment. Trees were actually not unlike those found in Hyrule, except for the wood being anywhere between white and black, and the leaves being a light grey to a vibrant gold. Grass was still largely green, but the Twilight cast a golden light on it.

Midna drew her Kargaroc next to Link, smiled at him, and said, "Now do you see how we find perpetual twilight to be quite livable?"

Link was surprised, but smiled back as he remembered her words to him atop Hyrule Castle, all that time ago.

They landed in a small village spotted by crude thatch huts. Numerous Twili came out to gaze intently at the new arrivals. They were tall and short, skinny and fat, some had longer hair, some wore their hair closely cropped. Hair colors ranged from gold to orange, eyes from orange to scarlet. Their bodies (or clothes?) were varying patterns of black and white, the normal for Twili.

Link and Midna landed in the center of the village. As they dismounted, their rides gave a trumpet blast, unfurled their wings and took off again. The Twilight Princess's arrival caused everyone to encircle the pair. They all bowed in homage to Midna. She strode up to one of the villagers, who she dwarfed. After speaking for a few minutes in Twili, Midna turned to Link and indicated a dirt trail. "We take that," she said, "And we'll find a cave the village has already explored. There are rumors about magic in there."

The Twili looked to Link and tilted their heads curiously. Midna flicked her eyes over the group of them, and guided Link in front of them. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she made some speech in Twili. By the time she was finished, all the villagers bowed to Link, moaning reverently. She massaged the Hero's shoulders for a second and leaned down to whisper in his ear. "I told them about what you've done for our people. You're a hero, and at least here you're not unsung."

He felt a mix of humility, pride and a little embarrassment. He wasn't sure what to do except accept the thanks and respect given to him. Nodding in acknowledgement, he stepped toward the path and away from the circle of villagers, who parted to let him through. He should probably learn to understand at least some basic Twili if he was going to be in this world more often. The Twilight Princess raised a hand of farewell to her subjects before following the Hero.

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><p>They walked for a few minutes down the path before hitting the mouth of a cave emerging out of the side of a mountain. The pair paused for a second before Midna shrugged and broke the silence. "Well, let's see what's in here. You're up, adventurer," she said, shoving Link at the entrance.<p>

He obliged, if a little hesitantly, and waltzed right into the cave. It was fairly simple, really; no puzzles to solve, no levers, and the Twili had already set up torches from earlier visits, so things were fairly well-lit. They had a straight shot all the way back, which was a total first. There was the occasional underground lake and the crossing over a chasm via Twili levitation platforms and walking under a waterfall, but those just served to keep things from getting boring and monotonous.

As they entered a chamber with unusually clean and luminescent water, Fi popped out of the Master Sword and floated in front of Link. "Master Link, I have a message written in the language of the gods of old. Allow me to translate for you."

Link nodded, giving Fi permission to do her work.

Fi began dancing, skating, leaping and swerving across the water, singing. "O you who seek to reconcile light and shadow, hear me well: I shall loose your tongue to give you a voice to speak out in this direst hour. Take of the sand in this cave and create a new portal between the worlds. Thrust your sword into the center of the mirror, and the blade of evil's bane shall cut apart the boundary, becoming infused once more with the heavenly power."

The Sword Spirit spun gracefully, with fluidity that Link hadn't suspected from what seemed an otherwise robotic spirit. She seemed alive, dynamic, organic, even passionate. He couldn't take his eyes off her as she frolicked lithely across the mirror-like surface of the water; there was a certain beauty about her as her sapphire skin and azure-violet cloak whisked entrancingly about. As he watched her spinning around and around, water channeled around her "arms"—and flew straight at him.

The force of the sacred water was enough to make him stumble back. It thoroughly doused where his heart and wound were, and worked its way into his mouth and the back of his throat. He gagged, coughing the water back up. When the water stopped, and when Link was done spitting it back out, Fi floated back over to him.

"Sonofa… You know, a word of warning would have been nice there," the Hero said.

Fi nodded. "My apologies, Maste—"

Her voice was cut off by a loud gasp from Midna. Link snapped his head to look at her. Her face was even paler than usual. One hand was over her mouth, and the other limply pointing at Link. He turned around to make sure nothing was behind him, then looked back to Midna, utterly lost. "What is it?" he asked.

"Y-you… You… Spoke," was all she could answer.

Link thought for a second, then his eyes widened as much as they possibly could. He looked down to see if the mirror fragment was messing with him, or if some parasite had attached itself to him.

Nope, just a well-sculpted chest, a developing scar, and the piece of mirror on a string. Nothing unusual there.

"Umm… Yes… Is that a problem?" He decided to play down the obvious fact that _he had never talked before._ **_Ever._**

Midna's scarlet eyes became filled with sadness, and she bowed her tall neck. "No… It's just… My entire method of teasing you relied on you not being able to respond back…" She sighed and touched the fingertips of one hand to her head, as the other hand supported her elbow. "Now I have to start from square one…"

Link smiled smugly; this amused him greatly. "Aww. My poor little Princess… Maybe you'll be witty enough to think of another wa—"

No sooner had those words left his mouth than he was lifted off the ground, one arm twisted painfully behind his back. He winced and grunted with pain. He was dropped in a pile onto the hard, rocky floor of the cavern.

"_She still has magic, you idiot,"_ he grumbled to himself.

He lifted his face off the grimy cave floor. His head lifted up to see Midna as she towered over him. Then Link remembered he was also far shorter than her. Her eyes were smoldering with rage, but her smile was devilishly satisfied. She could be beautiful, playful, impish, but right now, she was absolutely terrifying.

The swordsman got up, wiped some cave slime off his face and chest, and bowed his head in recognition of Midna's clear superiority. She relaxed and strutted on ahead of him, rubbing her dominance in his face. Link sighed and debated whether having cave slime or Midna's dominance covering his face was better. After months' worth of experience with both, he still wasn't sure.

Fi leaned ahead and turned her head to the side to look at Link, and spoke telepathically so only he could hear. "Master, I advise not provoking Princess Midna. There is a 95% chance that doing so could result in further bodily harm."

Link nodded gravely. Why, oh why, did he actually _need_ a reminder to not screw with the Twilight Princess?

Fi disappeared back into the Master Sword, and Link trotted ahead of Midna; he was armed, she was not. The way ahead was dark; they were getting close to the end of the cave tunnel. He could feel it.

Eventually, the pair saw a light ahead. Their faces lighted up and they hustled towards the central chamber. Fi came out of the Master Sword to say, "Master Link, I hypothesize that within the span of a few hundred years, this location will become incredibly complicated to traverse as odd and seemingly unnecessary puzzles are added by succeeding generations." She disappeared back into the Master Sword as both Link and Midna burst out laughing.

What they found was spectacular: A hole in the ceiling allowed the light of Twilight to gently filter down on a sandy floor. The person they saw standing in the center of the room, though, was not so spectacular.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Hooray for cliffhangers. Stay tuned for the next one, and as usual, please review, leave feedback, subscribe, favorite, whatever you want to do!<strong>


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Thanks again to Blake(sorry for the typo the first time! x.x) and Groosenator for reviewing, and to all those who have read and favorited this story. Now, for the reveal...**

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><p>They saw Zant standing there, helmet, cloak and all.<p>

There was the demonic scream that resonated through the cave chamber, and it _still_ sent shivers up Link's spine. Zant's mask seemed to be what caused it, and it seemed appropriate; the curling tongue and the twisted fangs on his helm seemed like the face of a monster with the vocal cords to make that sound.

The Twilight Princess's face was filled with contempt and disgust as Zant began crooning. "We meet again, Midna…. And _you,_ wolf-boy."

Link raised his chin at him, his face expressionless. "Yo."

Zant raised his arms casually and stretched them out before clasping his fingers together in front of his chest. He continued purring, "My, my, to think I would ever see you two again after Ganondorf was killed…"

He raised and curled his arms around his face, then started dancing and spinning around the room. He shrieked, "But now my god is more powerful than ever! Demise is his most glorious name, and he shall bring darkness to both the pitiful world of light, and this realm fallen from grace!"

Zant leapt and landed two feet from Link, retracting his helmet and sticking his face in the swordsman's, who took a step back. "And _you_ won't stop me! Not now, not ever!" He raised his hands and face heavenward in reverence. "Not while I have the patronage of my great god, Demise…"

The Twilight Princess looked to Link, jerked her thumb at the one-time usurper of the Twilight Realm and said, "Link, show this wannabe King the door."

The swordsman grinned, flexed his arms and chest, whipped out the Master Sword, stuck his face back in Zant's and said, "With pleasure, your _Majesty._" He didn't miss the chance to rub salt in Zant's pride.

Fi's voice echoed in Link's head. "Master, I hypothesize that killing Zant with the Master Sword will allow me to seal him. My data indicates a 25% chance that he will survive long within the confines of the blade."

The Hero of Twilight nodded. "_Roger."_

Zant punched Link in the stomach with the help of dark magic, and that was enough to send him sailing. His bare back collided painfully with the cave wall. He winced as he felt his ribs and spine slam against the cold, hard, uneven rock, and his wound cried out with agony. The Hero dropped seven feet to the ground, crumpled up on the floor. _Note to self, you have a sword. Use it instead of standing there like an idiot,_ he chided himself.

Groaning, he got back to his feet just in time to see Zant charging him. Link stuck the Master Sword straight out, forcing Zant to go to the side. Link followed with his blade, catching his old arch-nemesis on the shoulder and blowing off-course a massive magic blast intended for Link's face. The Twili stopped dead in his tracks, and Link went to work, hacking and slashing wildly at the robes and plated armor.

His satisfaction grew as, one by one, the plates of armor hanging off of Zant's robe were damaged, and a few were severed. Soon, Link would be slicing into flesh.

Zant backed off and floated up, stretching his arms over his head. A huge orb of maroon magic began to form above him. Link knew this was about to get serious.

The former Twilight King hurled the orb, now triple Link's size, straight at the hero. He rolled out of the way of the ball, but not out of the explosion, which sent him reeling into the center of the sand pit. Zant flashed to the ground behind Link, who began to smell burning flesh and experience searing pain as he was punished under Zant's unrelenting volley.

Every inch of his back screaming, Link whirled around to find Zant gone. Whipping back around, he was just in time to avoid another volley from Zant, who had warped behind him. The deranged Twili cackled like a banshee as he saw Link scurry out of the way.

The swordsman decided to bite the bullet and charged Zant, getting slammed with a few magic blasts in the process. He leapt, causing his shins to take fire, and brought down his sword on the Twili's mantle, stunning the fiend and making him stagger back.

Now it was back to work, cutting at his armor. Link was determined to not take any more shots; it was bad enough getting hit when he had protective layers of chainmail and fabric, but dark magic meeting bare skin was just unbearable. His shoulder blades killed him as he swung his sword, but that didn't stop the Hero from putting everything he had into rending the metal plates from Zant's robes.

A sword stroke, a squeal as metal tore through metal. Another armor plate falling to the sand. The old archenemy's weakness revealed itself.

Link took the shot and swung the Master Sword at the last remnants of the Twili's armor, knocking them clean off, and knocking Zant to the ground.

As the Twili raised a hand to defend himself with another magic burst, Link stabbed Zant's hand down into the sand, causing a shriek of pain to erupt from his fallen opponent. The swordsman kicked Zant back, essentially tearing the impaled hand in half. Clutching his hand and screaming, the Twili was helpless as Link walked up to him. His eyes widened in fear. He attempted to crawl away from Link, who almost felt sorry for his victim. Key word: Almost. He raised up the Master Sword, aiming the point at Zant's heart.

He plunged the blade of evil's bane in and through the man who was once in a position to destroy Hyrule. Zant fell back instantaneously, lifeless. "Get owned, son," Link muttered. His body began dissipating into crystals of light, which were absorbed into the Master Sword.

Link held up the blade, wondering if anything had happened to Fi after that. "_Master, I can confirm the total absorption of Zant. The remnants of his essence should decompose within a month," _Fi reported. Nothing sounded unusual or off in her voice, but Link wondered if he would notice any change in her monotone regardless. The Hero shrugged, did his usual showy flip with the sword, and sheathed it.

"Like a **boss**," he said emphatically.

He turned around to face Midna, who was patiently leaning her side against the cave wall. "That went quick," she remarked. "Ordinarily it takes you three repetitions to get a boss down to a point where you can kill them. You got Zant in one and a half."

Link smiled and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, guess I got a bit stronger thanks to the dance Fi did… That, and the fact that I've fought him before certainly helped a lot."

The Twilight Princess nodded, looking around. "Here, we can use this to carry the sand," she said, pointing to a barrel that was conveniently already there.

"Right…" he said. He knew he was about to be doing a lot of scooping and lifting.

Midna zapped a pile of sand and levitated it, dropping it into the barrel. Link pressed the lid down and banged it into place with his fist. He was about to tip it over and start rolling it, until the Twilight Princess held up a hand, telling him to wait. She zapped the barrel and levitated that, too. "Twili magic is such a wonderful thing," she said.

Yes. Yes it was. Which begged the question: Why didn't she do this more often in their last adventure?

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><p><strong>I know, not the longest chapter, but the next one will be better, I promise. As always, reviews, comments and critiques are welcome!<strong>


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Wow, I totally did not plan on taking a 2-year hiatus from this story, but it wasn't until a few days ago that I finally got a bout of inspiration and was able to resume writing this. Sorry to keep you waiting! I'm already working on the next chapter, which I hope to get out in a bit. After that, I might have to wait until I can play Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword again in order to get some more inspiration and ideas.**

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><p>Midna and Link had taken the sand back to the palace, and summoning all the sorcerers, historians, glassblowers, stoneworkers, smiths, and anyone who had any relevant skill in the Twilight Realm that she could possibly get in touch with, she convened a council to discuss forging the new link between the two realms. Everyone was seated around a round table, Midna's chair being elevated above the rest. Link sat at her right hand, dressed in some borrowed black robes with red and green Twilit patterns from when Midna's father was still a young man. The synod was speaking in Twili, and Fi was hovering next to Link's ear, interpreting all pertinent points for his benefit, having been able to build up comprehensive knowledge of the language with a little help from Midna and the other Twili.<p>

"Now what we need," said the Princess, taking the Mirror fragment from Link's neck and raising it up for all to see, "is to figure out how the magic within the Mirror of Twilight functioned, and create a more stable and less evil spell that can establish a connection to the World of Light. Simply put, we need a permanent, safe successor to the old Mirror that has effective and reliable two-way travel, and this fragment here still has enough magic imbued in it to give us a reference point in this task."

At a single raising of her hand, several magicians stood up, and chanting an incantation, created a circle of Twilit magic hovering just above the table. Midna floated the mirror fragment, and the circle began throwing up words written in an incomprehensible ancient language, along with symbols, pictures and numerous other flashing holograms. Everyone's brows furrowed. It wasn't long before they gave up.

Midna sighed and switched back to Hylian. "Fi, this is all in something we can't understand. Would any of this happen to be something you know a thing or two about?"

Fi floated closer to the magic circle and leaned forward, peering with her changeless face. She remained still for a good thirty seconds. "This is an ancient dialect of Hylian, of the sort spoken many centuries ago, after humans first descended to dwell on the Surface. It is in my records. I will decode and explain it. …The magic within the Mirror was created by a cooperative act between the Goddesses, the Light Spirits and the Hyrule Royal Family. Its properties create a stereoscopic projection on the Mirror Stone, in effect opening a dimensional rift. The dark elements of the magic take their origin from . . ." And then the rest of the explanation went straight over Link's head. He could feel part of his brain dying just trying to comprehend the words Fi was using.

Midna put a finger to her mouth and nodded when Fi had finished, brows knitted together. "Hm. I see. So if we want to create a new Mirror free from the dark power contained in the old one, and if we want it to have an effective two-way link, then we need Twilit magic to anchor the connection on this side, and we need magic from Link's world to create an anchor on the other side. Also, using the magic from the Mirror fragment is definitely a no-go, but the construction is still something we can make use of as a start. Is that the long and short of it?"

"That is correct."

"Alright, if you could figure out how the old one worked, then you can keep making yourself useful and help us work out the new one."

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

"Alright, good. Do you have a recommended list of materials as far as what to set the mirror in and what sort of sand and other things need to go into making that mirror?"

"A portal set into the ground creating a platform-based portal rather than a projection-based model is preferable. My records contain numerous examples of such a configuration and the magic required to render it operational. Based on my knowledge, it would be best if we were to craft the mirror and the dais around it in such a way as to ensure full magical receptivity and conduction properties. Sand and stone of roughly homogenous composition would be best, and while the mirror and setting are being crafted, weaving magic into the stone and the mirror would yield optimal results, minimize complications, and overall streamline the process in creating the spells for the portal itself."

"Okay. And as far as magic from Link's world?"

"The Master Sword is naturally imbued with powerful magic from the World of Light, having been created by the Goddess Hylia, tempered in the three Sacred Flames, and finally blessed by the Goddess Herself. Interaction between the sword and the mirror has a 75% chance to establish the connection to the other side, even with its diminished capabilities."

"Got it. Then we have a plan." Midna relayed instructions to each person in Twili, and one by one, they all got up, bowed and left.

When it was just Link, Midna and Fi, Link turned to look at the Twilight Princess. "Anything I should be doing?"

"Stand around and look pretty until we need you, and leave the thinking and complicated things to us."

Typical Midna response.

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><p>The whole ordeal took about a week of the Twili working almost constantly to create the mirror, taking shifts to keep the work flow steady. While the mirror was being heated, spun, cut, grinded, etched and polished, Midna and other sorcerers worked in close concert with Fi to cast the right spells and weave the right magic into the design, illuminating the mirror in patterned streaks of black and orange-red. An as-of-yet unlit etching of the Hylian crest sat circumscribed in the middle.<p>

The stone dais the mirror was to be set in had two steps up to where the mirror would be set, and each stone had green magic from a central Sol running through it. Each stone also featured a round hole, which Fi explained was for when the mirror would run through its activation phase.

Link, for his part, spent some time watching the entire process, some time poking around the Palace, and he even made a few pathetic attempts of trying to speak a bit of basic Twili he'd learned from some children. At least he was starting to get a little bit of an ear for the language and pick out a word here or there… If Twili could be said to have words.

And finally, it was time. The new mirror was guided magically to the dais, right where the old Mirror of Twilight's portal had been. It was set in with painstaking slowness and caution; everything had to fit together perfectly. There was a general sigh of relief as the mirror fit in like a glove; a baby gnat couldn't have fit between the seams. The mirror and the setting were magically bonded together, and the existing spells protecting the portal against any damage were further strengthened. When all the spellwork was done, the Twili took a much-needed break, wiping away sweat and sucking in air from all the effort and focus. Link hadn't seen Midna this drained since she used the Fused Shadows to break the barrier around Hyrule Castle.

Fi, who had overseen all the work, turned her stern gaze towards Link. "Master, stand in the center of the mirror." He did as he was instructed. "Now take your sword, and drive it into the center of the Triforce."

Link was confused; wasn't the idea to make it so the mirror _didn't_ break? But rather than questioning the Sword Spirit, drew the Master Sword, and raised the sword as high as he could. Taking in a deep breath and focusing, he eyed the space in between the three triangles. Releasing his breath with a shout, he plunged the sword straight down.

The blade stabbed into the mirror, yet there were no cracks, no sound of glass shattering. Instead, it felt and sounded like he had buried the tip of the Master Sword into sand. Immediately, a low hum began to sound as light flooded through the plain parts of the mirror that weren't already filled with Twilit magic. Particles of light began to float up into the air, causing the Twili to shield their faces with their hands and take several steps back, moaning with terror.

"The infusion is complete. Master, you may remove the sword." Link pulled up, but when he looked, he saw no mark in the mirror, no gash, no hole, nothing. He was completely and utterly confused, but he decided to shrug and just go with it.

Midna stepped forward. "Now, about that light. Will it be fatal for my people to come near it?"

Fi shook her head. "No. The presence of light magic will have no effect on the Twili; it is the result of the light magic from the Master Sword fusing with that of the Sol. The Sol was absorbed as the energy source of the portal, so interaction between the Twili and the light magic contained in the portal would be free of adverse effects. The light magic in the mirror coming from Link's world is harmless to them."

"So, is this thing ready to go?" asked Link.

"Negative. The magic is in place, but there is one more step before we are operational. Since we no longer have the Goddess' Harp, we need to use your wolf form. You and I will stand on the portal, across from each other.

Link backed up and turned to glance at Midna. "You got it covered?"

"Sure do," she answered. She threw out a dark cloud from her hands that surrounded Link, transforming him. He shook off the darkness and sat on his haunches and gazed intently at Fi, waiting for further instructions.

"Howl to the heavens, going from your highest pitch to your lowest."

Wolf Link did as he was told, and the Hylian crest in the middle began to glow with a golden light. A ring of magic began to pulsate rhythmically, from the crest to the edges of the mirror. He took the hint and began to howl in time to the ring's movement. Fi's voice joined with his to sing the melody. Each of the stones began to throw up lights until the portal was surrounded by them. When the song was finished, the lights subsided.

"Master, Princess Midna, I can confirm that a link has been established between the two worlds. All that remains now is to use the portal with a thrust of the Master Sword, or the magic of the Twilight Princess."

"Alright, finally. I've had enough of planning and calculation. It's time to fire her up and see where we end up." Midna stepped up next to Link, then turned to face her people. "As for you all, congratulations; you can return to your homes with the knowledge that you just made history. We will come back, either when the situation in the Light World is taken care of, or if we need backup from the Twilight. Farewell for now." With those words, the princess pulled the twilight out of Link and returned him to human form. "You do the honors."

Link again buried the tip of the Master Sword in the mirror, and everything began to spin, blur together, and fade into white.

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><p><strong>I hope that was good for my first chapter in two years! Rates and reviews are much appreciated!<strong>


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Sorry for the delay-finals and having two moves to worry about sort of ate up a lot of time! This is actually a chapter I've had in the works ever since before I took my hiatus, but at the time I just couldn't quite decide how to get from the Twilight Realm to where I ended this chapter.**

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><p>After knowing neither time nor space nor direction in the face of this white nothingness, sensing only the white-knuckle grip on his sword and his eyes screwed shut and teeth clenched, he at last felt the tug of gravity and the sensation of standing upright. As he slowly peeked his eyes open, things began to fade into view. Colors became blurry, but recognizable, gradually shaping into definite outlines. He made out a jagged horizon: dusty, rugged brown below, blazing gold, orange and purple above. Link blinked a few times before withdrawing his sword from what was the Twilight Portal, but was now a patch of earth illuminated with magic patterns that perfectly replicated those on face of the mirror.<p>

Midna's voice was the first thing to break the eerie silence. "Well, looks like we didn't exactly get a say in just where we got transported to. Isn't this the Hidden Village?"

He took another look in front of him. A wooden guard tower, old, abandoned buildings along one long street, broken windows, strewn-about crates and barrels, cats prowling about everywhere-yep, that's where they were, alright. Link started strolling forward. Nothing to do or see here; might as well get on going.

As he walked along, something caught his eye. Up on the crag, there stood something in stark contrast to the monotone brown rock—a man with skin and hair as white as porcelain stood, the evening sun reflecting brilliantly on his angular features. Blue diamond-shaped earrings swayed in the wind, a crimson cloak billowed, clasped with a chain across his chest. White gloves covered forearms draped elegantly at his sides. Snow-white lips were spread across his face in a smile that, Link instinctively knew, thinly masked hostile intentions.

A snap of the figure's fingers, and he disappeared in a flash of red and orange diamonds, reappearing in the same manner mere feet in front of Link, causing the hero to hop back and place his hand on the hilt of his blade, ready to draw and slash in a heartbeat. The man gave a chuckle. "My, my, it seems you have better combat instincts this time around. Ahh, how positively _excited_ that makes me feel," he said in an over-the-top voice dripping in an almost erotic sense of anticipation for what would happen next, eying Link from head to toe. Link was certainly hoping that he was not being mentally undressed by this stranger.

"Sorry, but do I know you?"

"Hmhmhm. Well, to tell you the truth, I don't believe you would. After all, it _has_ been _centuries_ since we last met each other, back when you **_destroyed me and slew my master, and COMPLETELY shattered all our hard work to take over the surface world!" _**He paused to take a deep breath.**_ "_**Ahh, but look at me, going off on you for doing something in a past life that, until now, you probably didn't even know you had done! How uncivil of me.**_" _**Taking a moment to flip his hair away from the left side of face and behind his ear, he continued. "Allow me to remind you of who I am…"

Another snap of his fingers, and the man warped to the nearest rooftop. Calling out with the voice of an actor making his big debut in a play, he proclaimed, "I am Demon Lord Ghirahim! You, boy, would most likely rather call me Ghirahim. I am not the strictest in insisting that I am addressed by my full title, but if you should ever call me Lord Ghirahim, it would most certainly tickle my fancy."

Link drew his sword and stepped toward Ghirahim. "Alright, well if I stopped you last time, I'm game to do it again!"

"Hm! Part of me hoped you would say that, you arrogant fool! Oh yes, how much fun I will have, how _delighted_ I will be to humiliate you! Even if I don't kill you, though, it won't matter. Because you and everything else in this world now belong to my master, and it is only a matter of time before our forces overtake this land. And anyone who stands against us… Well, let's leave it at this: Their end will be far less pretty, and far more painful, than what I will otherwise grant to your kind. Now, boy, stand still and make it easy on yourself, or try and fight—it makes no difference to me!"

Warping to the balcony across the street, his cloak seemed to shrivel up into this bizarre adversary, revealing grey diamonds striping across a torso and arms which were otherwise an immaculate white. Glowing red knives materialized before Ghirahim, hovering and spinning, tips aimed towards Link. The Demon Lord stretched forth his arm, and they flew at Link in a flurry, causing him and Midna to sprint for cover against the wall, diagonal from Ghirahim.

Crap. What should he do now? He and Midna were pinned down behind that wall. As soon as Link stuck his head around the bend to survey the situation or even so much as catch a glimpse, he knew he was getting a dagger right in his face. He began to upbraid himself for his rashness; if he hadn't run off without his shield like an idiot back when this whole thing started, he would have been more than game to just rush out and tank those things on his shield. But with his entire upper body left unprotected, no way was he going to risk charging Ghirahim.

But there _was_ someone more adept at attacking from a distance right now… His eyes lifted up to meet Midna, huddled next to him. They knew each other well enough for Midna to see a plan brewing in Link's brain. "You fly out and barrage him with your magic, and keep him busy. I'll sneak around and try and catch him off guard," he said in a hushed whisper.

"And in the meanwhile, he'll just teleport out of my sight, and most likely find you; it's way too obvious," Midna responded.

"We're not looking to be super clever about it. The most important thing is that we do _something _to get to a better position," he answered. A glint and a chime from the jewel on the Master Sword's hilt caused both of them to shoot their glances down at it. "I calculate a 70% chance of success," came Fi's robotic, melodic and somehow calming voice.

Link and Midna both looked up to lock eyes again. "Guess we're going for it," said Midna.

"Alright, on three."

Link sidled over to the opposite side of the building, the rock cliff at his side. He'd have to climb a bit, but he could definitely get up on the rocks and jump over the wall into the courtyard beyond without getting skewered. Midna flattened against the corner around which their adversary was no doubt waiting. They each took a slightly shaky breath, and began counting.

"One…"

"Two…"

"Three!"

Link charged the length of the wall and did a muscle-over onto the first step on the rock face, eyes frantically scanning the cliff and the roof to make sure Ghirahim hadn't warped over. Clear! Another muscle-over, followed by a quickvault over the wall, and he dropped down to the courtyard below, where the Cucco and the cats had begun to take refuge from the battle. Through the building he saw flashes of Twilit magic flying, then the humming of daggers singing back towards where the magic had come from. No screams from Midna. Good! He saw the cargo netting right next to him. He tried jumping to grab it, but missed a solid grip by mere inches. Growling with frustration, he backed up, charged the wall, and this time, kicked off the wall and gained enough height to grab the net. _Yes!_

Midna, for her part, was hovering high in the air, busy keeping track of Ghirahim, who was busy warping from one location to the other. His range of teleportation was decent, but wherever he went, she peppered him with magic. After about three teleportations, she found her mark. She grinned and gave a cheer on the inside. The self-styled Demon Lord had one glaring weakness: His ability to teleport was limited by his inability to keep it up for a long period of time. Eventually his magic wore out and he had to take a bit of time to build it up. Her eyes flashed wide as she dodged a few daggers that whizzed past her left cheek and right side. She grumbled to herself. Her foe may have had to wait to recharge his teleportation, but his daggers were still usable in the meantime.

Pulling himself up and over, Link scanned the building for a fraction of a second. Empty, though a few pockmarks in the ceiling from Midna's magic were visible. Keeping one eye behind him, one in front, sword always at the ready, he darkened the doorway leading out onto the balcony. Just as he did so, the red-clad enemy flashed in front of him, back completely vulnerable. Without a second's hesitation, Link slashed the man with all his might, following it up with a downright savage stab to the back. He ducked back and protected his face as Midna absolutely pounded the man with magic, sending stray, crackling magic all around. His quarry turned up and looked at him, a dark grin stretching across his pale lips.

A thin, elegant, slightly-curved, dark-grey sword materialized out of black-and-orange squares in his hand, and he lunged at Link. Link parried, driving the Master Sword's pommel into where the man's face had been a tenth of a second earlier. Link followed through, sliding his blade across the man's chest. He didn't feel the normal sensation of metal tearing through flesh like he had with all other creatures; instead, it felt like he was cutting through armor, even though the man was wearing none. He was baffled.

Whirling around, he was just in time to notice a dagger flying at his face, which he swatted away with his sword. Inexplicably, the dagger flew back at the man, striking him and stunning him.

"_Master Link, you have already seen how hitting Ghirahim's daggers with your sword reflects them back at him. Use this weakness against him," _came Fi's voice.

He heard Midna's footsteps alighting on the balcony outside, and Twilit magic blasted through the wall, mere inches in front of Link, but catching a glancing blow on Ghirahim. It was enough to knock him backwards over the low loft rail. He tumbled to the ground floor below, lying there in a daze. Seizing his chance, Link leapt sword-first down to clinch the finish, but his sword buried itself into the floorboards as the man flashed ten feet away. A ring of daggers surrounded the man as he gave a low chuckle. Wide-eyed, Link heaved with all his might to free the Master Sword. Every single one of the daggers flew straight for him.

With a shout of desperation, Link finally ripped the Master Sword from its place, falling backwards. He waved his sword, catching five daggers, while another five flew just inches above him. The five he struck did a 180 and returned painfully to their owner.

Giving a grunt of pain, the man dropped to a knee, panting. Link picked himself up and pounced on his enemy, slashing and hacking away furiously. He front-flipped over his foe and did a helm attack, knocking the man forward onto his face. This was followed with a Finishing Blow that finally found its mark—Link had an inner burst of satisfaction as the Master Sword buried itself into the foe.

His satisfaction was short-lived as Ghirahim's body disappeared in a flash of squares, only to reappear five feet away, a big smirk smeared across his face. "Hmhm. Not bad, Hero. But you will need much more than that to defeat me."

Link was dumbfounded. He was positive his blade had gone completely through the man's chest, right through the sternum. How could this guy still be standing?

The gem on the Master Sword flashed and chimed, signaling Fi's telepathic communication to Link. "_Master Link, if you wish to defeat Ghirahim, you will need to utilize the Skyward Strike to do so. Since you have activated the Hylian Portal, the Master Sword has again regained the capacity for performing this technique. Remember the instructions I gave you: Raise your blade to the heavens, and when it is filled with heavenly energy, unleash it with a thrust of your sword."_

Link gave a slight nod. "Alright then, let's see what you've got."

"With pleasure." The smirking white assailant crouched down, then flashed. Instinctively guessing his move, Link spun around just in time to catch Ghirahim's sword on his own, parrying it out of the way and slashing up along his torso. Link stepped through and drove the pommel into the small of his opponent's back, followed immediately with another slash across the same location. A good push kick sent Ghirahim tumbling forward, and Link stuck his sword high in the air.

The blade began to whistle and whine, as light flooded down from the tip to the hilt. When Link saw that it was fully illuminated, he roared and swung the Master Sword forward. Just as Fi said, an arc of brilliant white energy wheeled forward, striking Ghirahim full-force. Midna jumped down from the second floor, and surrounding him in her Twilit magic, blew him out of the building and into the dusty street beyond.

Ghirahim quickly recovered both his footing and his sneer. Link thought he saw something dark on the Demon Lord's ghostly complexion… Blood? A bruise? He couldn't tell. The enemy still looked relatively undamaged outside of that one little thing, whatever it was. His thoughts were interrupted by Ghirahim's voice. "A nice little stretch that was. With such weak power, I don't think my master has anything to worry about from the likes of you. Link, you were capable of being an actual threat in centuries past, but now you're nothing but a pathetic little weakling! If you need that wench to help you just to get me warmed up, you have no hope against Demise! Crawl back into your hole and wait for the world to fall into darkness—at least you might live to see an extra day!"

He turned away for a second, and Midna flew at him in a rage. Ghirahim quickly turned back around, striking her chest with his palm. Darkness flew out and began encircling her. "And with that parting gift, I bid you all adieu!" He circled his sword in front of him with a black, humming aura, and vanished out of sight, leaving Link and Midna in the dusty, abandoned town.

Link ran to Midna's side, but her entire body was now enveloped in black, and the darkness forced him to keep his distance. She started shrinking down into a familiar form.

The darkness dissipated, leaving Midna in her imp form. Groaning, she put up her hand to her head. "Oh… Ugh… What did he do to me..?" She opened her big eyes, and looked down at her now-tiny hands. "What—WHAT DID HE DO TO ME?!" She looked down and around at herself, stretched her hands, lifted her legs, patted her stomach. "Oh, COME ON!" she shouted, throwing her hands down.

She flew up to be even with Link's head, leaned in with the grimmest scowl she could possibly muster, put one hand on her hip and pointed at Link with the other, saying, "Not. A. Word."

For his part, Link grabbed her and pulled his beloved companion in for a hug, as if she'd just come back from the dead. Midna bit him hard on the ear. "Ow!" he said, immediately releasing her. "What was that for?"

She let go and glared at him. "You don't just get to hug me whenever you want! I just went through the traumatic process of being turned back into this _thing,_ and you hug me like you're all happy about my predicament! Have an ounce of sympathy here!"

Link put up his hands. "Hey, it just reminds me of the good old days is all. Plus, we have the Sols we can get to, right? Those should be able to fix this."

She crossed her arms. "Hmph. I guess you have a point. The other option is that this curse won't be lifted until we kill Ghirahim, or worse yet, Demise. Oh, and one more thing to make your _nostalgia_ _trip_ complete..."

The mask piece of the Fused Shadow materialized before Midna, and she set it firmly on her head. "Thankfully, the damage Ganondorf did to this was easy to fix. Too bad we didn't have that kind of luck with the rest of the Fused Shadows… This is just the crown of the Twilight Realm anymore," she explained.

Midna had her crown, but Link himself was in need of a new tunic. He hoped Malo's associates had something for him in Hyrule Castle Town; the Zora armor made him way too vulnerable to fire and ice, and he was not about to put on that money-drain for an extended period of time…

He started. "Oh crap, I bet Ghirahim's totally headed for the castle," Link exclaimed. "And Fi, maybe you can tell us who that guy _was_?"

Fi appeared from the Master Sword. "That was Ghirahim, Demise's Sword Spirit, much like I am the Sword Spirit of the Master Sword. But there is one difference between me and him—"

"You mean aside from having an attitude problem?" Midna snapped.

Fi turned to look at Midna. "No. The difference is as follows: I inhabit the Master Sword. Ghirahim is the humanoid form of Demise's sword—a transformation of the sword into a living person, if you will. Which is precisely why Ghirahim saw fit to point out Link's weakness. If Ghirahim himself was difficult, then his master and wielder at full strength would prove to be nearly impossible to defeat. Ghirahim estimated that this information would have a negative impact on Link's emotional and mental motivation. And according to my analysis, this is indeed the case."

Link sighed. Fi was right—knowing that Demise's sword without its owner was still a potentially lethal threat did not do wonders for either his or Midna's morale. "Alright, so I guess we'd better head to town, get some clothes and some armor, go back and fetch my stuff at home, and try going up for round two?"

"That would be the most advisable plan, Master. But before you attempt to engage Ghirahim again in combat, both you and your sword must be strengthened. I would also like to explore the potentials of your wolf form in various capacities; I believe the Goddesses have allowed you to take this form for a reason," Fi responded.

Link nodded. "Thanks. That's it for now." With that, Fi retreated back into the Master Sword.

She looked at herself again. "Well, it looks like being revived by the Light Spirits did more than the obvious; I can maintain my physical form in the world of light without getting crispy now, even without Zelda's magic in me. Even so…" She flew into his shadow. "_I'm camping out down here. I'm laying low just like last time until something big comes up. See you later!"_

"Well then, first thing's first. Off to my place, then Hyrule Castle Town!" Midna popped out and zapped Link, making him disintegrate into Twilit particles that shot up into the sky, with the Twilight Princess following close behind.

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading, as always! **I hope I did a good job with Ghirahim-his complex character dynamic is really hard to capture.** And thanks to Silver Wolfos and EquinoxWolf for the reviews, and to everyone who's liked and followed! More feedback and more reviews are always welcome.**


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